Sewing machine



April 4, 1939.

D. ROTHCHILD,

SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 27, 195'? 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR,

2% 2M uww 1 ATTORNEY April 4, 1939. D. ROTHCHILU- SEWING MACHINE 6Sheets-Sheep 2 Filed Oct. 27, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR, 2 M 79Mdawn ATTORNEY April 1939- D. ROTHCHILD 2,152,819

SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2'7, 193'? 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INYENTOR.

ATTORNEY D. ROTHCHILD SEWING MACHINE April4, 1939.

Filed Oct. 27, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 III] {/2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY.

6 Sheets-Sheet 6 0/ VIII/I fllll/II/lllll'l/l/Ill/llI/fllfllffflllffllrill/Ir ATTORNEY.v

D. ROTHCHILD SEWING MACHINE Filed 001;. 27.. 1937 April 4, 1939.

Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNE'EED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEWING MACHINE.

David Rothchild, New York, N. Y., assignor to The Palmer Brothers.Company, New London, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut My inventionrelates to sewing machines which are particularly adapted for quiltingtogether several thicknesses of material, for instance bed comfortables;but my improved machine may be employed in sewing upon various fabricsin one or more thicknesses; and in carrying out my invention I employmechanism in which the fabric to be stitched is held stretched in atambour frame which is moved into various positions relative tostitching mechanism having a fixed position.

In machines such as have heretofore been used for quilting comfortables,it has been customary to mount the stitching and looping mechanism on Wlong arms projecting one above and one below the comfortable and toswing these arms manually, or automatically under the guidance of fixedpattern guides. And because of the considerable size of a bed quilt ithas been necessary to make the mechanism cumbersome and heavy in orderto give sufiicient rigidity to the stitching and looping arms to preventdangerous relative vibrations; and in order to provide automatic patternguidance for the stitching and looping mechanism, heavy and oftencomplicated cast iron pattern guides have been employed; which are notonly cumbersome but are expensive to construct. Such machines are notreadily convertible from automatic control to manual control. Objects ofmy invention are to facilitate the operation of the relatively movableparts of the mechanism; to stabilize the relative relations of thestitching and looping mechanism; to lighten and stiffen the framework ofthe mechanism; to provide a simple and readily applied and changedguiding pattern; to apply certain of my improvements to an automaticallyguided machine or a manually guided machine; to make an automaticallyguided machine readily convertible into a manually guided machine andvice versa; and to obtain the other results hereinafter pointed out andclaimed.

In the drawings in all the figures of which similar letters of referencedesignate similar parts,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2 is a sideview taken as looking tothe right on Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is. a vertical view,partly in section, of a section of one of the tracks and the means forguiding the tambour-carrying frame along the track; Fig. 4 is a planView of the pattern carriage, pattern and part of the patterncontrolling mechanism; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same taken ason the line 5-5 of Fig. 4,1001;- ing to the left; Fig. 6 is a horizontalsectional view,

taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 7, of part of the mechanism forautomatically controlling the movement of the pattern; Fig. 7 is avertical sectional view of the same, taken as on the line 'l--'! of Fig.6; Fig. 8 is an elevation of the lower part of the mechanism shown inFig. 7, the elements 5 for driving the pattern controlling tractor,omitted in Fig. 7, being shown partially in section; Fig. 9 is a view ofthe same taken as looking to the left on Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a horizontalsectional view, taken as on the line Ill-l0 of Fig. 8, showing anoriginal position of the pattern and tractor in solid lines, and theirchanged positions, as the tractor operates, in broken lines; Fig. 11 isa front elevation of a portion of my machine modified for hand control;Fig. 12 is a view of the 15 same taken on the line I2-l2 of Fig. 11looking down, the pattern controlling mechanism being omitted; Fig. 13is a plan View of part of a pattern for use with hand control; Fig. 14is a vertical sectional View on the line I l-l4 of Fig. 11 looking tothe right; Fig. 15 is a vertical sectional detail of the connectinggears for the stitching mechanism; Fig. 16 is a detail of one of theball bearings used in mounting the moving parts of the mechanism.

Figs. 14 and 15 are on an enlarged scale; and Figs. 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10and 16 are on a still further enlarged scale.

The principal parts of the machine are assembled in frame I, whichembodies two ends 2, 2 preferably made of practically rigid castings andprovided with bases 3, 3 sufiiciently elongated toafford a safe supportto the frame when in an upright position. These end frames are con- 35nected by three longitudinal stretchers 4, 5, 6, which are preferablyformed of stiff metal tubing, preferably rectangular in cross section,which are firmly attached to the ends 3, 3 as by bolts 1, l. The frame Ithus formed is practically rigid; and relative movements of its parts byspringing or vibration are reduced to a minimum. This rigidity of theframe is of importance in insuring the accurate relative movements ofthe operating mechanisms carried by the frame. The distance between theends of the frame is pref- 45 erably sufficient toallow all parts of thefabric to be stitched to be brought under the stitching needle, bymoving the fabric to and fro within the frame.

On the stretcher 4 is fixedly mounted a sewing 50 machine head 9carrying the mechanism for the reciprocating needle Ill, such mechanismnot being shown in detail as no novelty is claimed in its construction.The needle mechanism is actuated by a shaft ll mounted in suitablebearings such 55 as l2, l2, preferably embodying ball bearings such asare shown in the enlarged detail of Fig. 16, which ball bearingspractically eliminate the use of oil or grease, and avoid the danger offorming grease spots, by drippings, on the fabric. The shaft carries apulley l4 over which travels a belt l5 driven by a pulley l6 on theshaft ll of an electric motor l8 mounted upon the frame of the machine.

Through bevelled gears I9, 29, 22 and 23, and shaft 2| shown in Fig. 15,the shaft II is con.- nected with a shaft 25 carried upon the stretcher5, as by roller bearings 26, 26, similar to the roller bearings I2, l2.

This shaft 25 actuates the looper mechanism 21, below table 24, whichcooperates with the needle l9 in the well known manner, the details notbeing shown as no invention is claimed in these stitch forming elements.The bevelled gearing illustrated gives the shaft 25 a movement of threeto one relative to the shaft 1. But it is to be understood that therelative movements of these shafts may be regulated by modifying theratios of the bevelled gears so as to obtain whatever relative speeds ofthe needle and looper may be most desirable in practice.

By mounting the needle mechanism in this way, upon separate, rigidcarrying elements, variations in their relative positions due to shock,vibration or distortion of their mountings during the operation of themachine are eliminated; and a normal cooperation between the stitchforming mechanisms is insured.

Upon the stretcher 6 is mounted a pattern controlling unit 39, thefunction of which is to move the pattern, and through it the tambourframe, into the desired successive positions below the needle. This unit39 is mounted in a bracket 3| secured, as by bolts 32, 32, to thestretcher 6, and provided with two pairs of arms 33, 33 and 34, 34,respectively, adjustably connected by bolts 35 and 36. Within these armsslides a tubular member 31, in the upper end of which is a head 38 heldin place by bolts 39 and 49, the head being tapped to receive anadjusting screw 4| the end of which extends down within the tube 31 andrests upon a plunger 42 reciprocable within the tube.

A tension spring 45 extends from the bolt 49 down through openings inthe bracket 3 I, and is anchored at its lower end as at 46 below thebracket. This tension spring normally tends to draw the tube 31 downthrough the bracket. The tube 31 has transverse slots 41, 41 passingthrough its sides; and through these slots runs a shaft 48 carried bybearings 49, 49 mounted on the stretcher 6, the shaft 48 being providedwith a handle 59 by which it may be partially rotated to and fro. On theshaft 48 is rigidly mounted a cam 5! one edge of which projects outthrough a slot 52 in the tube 31; and the cam heel 53 rocks back againstthe inside of the tube 31. By turning the shaft 48 counterclockwise thecam 5| will raise the tube 31 against the tension of the spring 45, thenormal position of the tube relative to the cam being determined by theadjustment of the plunger 42 within the tube. To the lower end of thetube is secured a flanged collar 55, as by threadin and tap screw 56;and this flanged collar has a hub 5l on which revolves a pulley 58around which runs a belt 59 travelling over idlers 89, 69 and then overa pulley 6| on the shaft of the motor I8. A gear 63 is keyed to thepulley 58 so as to rotate with it. A washer or similar element 64 restsupon an internal flange of the collar 55 and through it passes thethreaded shank of a foot element which is secured to the washer 64 as bynuts 66 and 61.

The shank 65 is enlarged in the form of a cylinder 68, which isrotatable in a bearing within the collar 55, and expands into a foot 69in which is journalled a shaft l9 having keyed thereon a traction wheelII having an inwardly tapered groove 12 in its outer edge.

The foot 69 has an extension 13 through which passes a shaft 14 to theupper end of which is keyed a gear l5 meshing with the gear 63, andcarrying on its lower end a worm I5 meshing with a worm gear 11 keyed onthe shaft 19, the ratio of this chain of gears is. such that itsmovement under the impulse of the pulley 58 will turn the traction wheelll approximately the proper distance of the length of one stitch, witheach stitch made by the sewing machine mechanism. The vertical axis ofthe guide unit 39 is fixed in position in line below the stitchingmechanism, this relative position being always maintained.

I will now describe the pattern carrying mechanism which embodies tworelatively movable frames by means of which the tambour frame can beshifted into any desired position relative to the needle.

A lower frame 89 is carried on rollers 8|, 8| running on tracks 82, 82placed between the ends 2, 2 of the frame of the machine. The rollers8|, 8| are kept in place on the tracks 82, 82 by guide rollers 83, 83carried by plates 86, 86 and engaging on opposite sides of the tracks82, 82 by flanges 8T, 8? provided with bearings 89, 89 in which therollers are mounted. This frame 89 embraces two parallel bars 84, 84connected by transverse bars 85, 85 all preferably formed of angle ironsand provided near their junction with plates 86, 86 which furnishsupports for the carrying rollers 8|, 8| the plates 86, 86 havingextensions 8l, 8! to carry the rollers 8|, 8| and 83, 83. This lowerframe is also stiffened at its corners with corner plates similar to thecorner plates used for stiffening the upper frame hereinafter described.

The object of this arrangement is to secure a light and comparativelystiff frame of simple construction travelling under the machine on fixedtracks.

The members 84, 84 of this frame constitute tracks upon which the upperframe travels. This upper frame, designated as a whole as 99, ispreferably rectangular in form and is preferably built up of angle bars9|, 9| and 92, 92 reinforced at their corners by plates as 93, 93 andintermediately by transverse bars 94, 94 and 95, 95 and by braces 96, 96the junctions between the various bars of the frame being reinforced bycorner plates similar to 93, 93, as shown in the drawings.

The space between the bars 94, 94 and 95, 95 is provided at its bottomwith transverse strips 96, 96 which form bottom supports within thespace surrounded by the bars.94, 94 and 95, 95. From the four corners ofthe frame 99 supports 98, 98 extend upward to carry the tambour frame,the uprights being connected by longitudinal angle bars I99, I 99 andtransverse angle bars |9|, |9|, joined at the corners on which thetambour frame, preferably of wood, |92, is mounted, being provided withsuitable clamps |93, |93 for holding the material to be stitched. Thevarious corners of this framework are preferably reinforced, as by angleplates similar to 93, 93, so as to give considerable stiffness to theframework which is, nevertheless, light, and easily movable from oneposition into another. From the bars 9|, 9| plates forming legs I05, [05extend down to carry rollers I06, I96 travelling on the tracks 88, 98and held to duty by side guide rollers I91, I01 similar to the rollers83, 83. Preferably the various rollers in this assembly are providedwith ball bearings so as to minimize friction and avoid the use of oiland grease around the mechanism.

The result of this arrangement is that the tambour frame is mounted uponlight, stiff carriages movable at right angles to each other so thatuniversal movements of the tambour frame in a horizontal plane may beobtained with the expenditure of very little energy.

Within the space between the bars 94, 94 and 95, is placed the guidepattern H0, which is preferably formed of a wooden panel IH upon which araised pattern is formed.

As it is desirable to change the patterns used on machines of this classfrequently, it becomes important to use control patterns which are bothinexpensive to produce and readily changeable as to design, as Well asbeing comparatively light, so as to minimize the load upon the carryingframe.

I therefore employ a flexible element, which may be bent into thedesired pattern and fastened detachably to the Wooden panel. For such apurpose I have found a flexible band of rubber, or rubber and fabric,sufficiently stiff to retain its cross sectional shape while in use, tobe suitable. Such a band H2 is shown in cross section in Fig. 9, ashaving the sides tapering toward the top, which is preferably flattened.Such a band may be readily fastened to the wooden panel, as by nails|I3,- H3, which will give it suflicient stability to standup under theaction of the pattern moving mechanism. That action is as follows:Thegrooved wheel 'H is raised by turning the shaft 48 anticlockwise,causing the cam 5| to push up the plunger 42 and the tube 31 and itsattachments. The design is then moved, by the relative movements of thecarriages, to bring the point at which it is desired to commence thestitching of the design upon a fabric held in the tambour frame inposition below the needle. The grooved wheel H is then lowered byreversing the movement of the cam 5| so that the wheel straddles thepattern band as shown in Fig. 9. The motor I8 is then started, causingthe wheel 'H to turn forward on the band I I2 on which it can be urgedto duty by turning down the adjustment screw 4| to insure a pressurewhich will prevent the wheel from jumping off the band and will alsokeep the wheel from slipping on the band. The drag of the wheel H on thepattern band H2 will draw the band under and past the wheel, therebymoving the pattern carrying frame and the tambour frame to the sameextent and in the same direction, so that the movement of the fabric inthe tambour frame will correspond with that of the pattern.

Simultaneously with the movement of ,the wheel H the stitching mechanismwill come into operation and a stitch will be formed and the needlewithdrawn and the fabric moved forward the appropriate distance for astitch before the needle again descends. The pattern shifting and thestitching may then proceed until the desired amount of stitching hasbeen done. It will be obvious that the machine may be stopped and thewheel H raised free of the pattern and that the pattern may be shiftedand the wheel lowered to engage it in a different position if thatbecomes desirable. But in the pattern design which I have illustrated inFig. 4 of the drawings the design is a continuous one and may becompletely reproduced without disconnecting the wheel from the patternguide. The relative movements of the mechanism connected with the wheelH and of the pattern are illustrated in Fig. 10 in which the full linesshow an initial position of the pattern and the wheel and attachments,and the broken lines show the relative changes of position as the wheelturns and draws the pattern along beneath it.

Under certain conditions it may be desirable to operate a machine ofthis general construction manually instead of automatically. In thatcase the pattern panel I H is lifted out of the frame and a differenttype of pattern guide, for instance H5, having the pattern formed ofgrooves H6, 1 IS in its surface, may be substituted. The collar 55 isthen screwed off of the lower end of the tube 31 and is replaced by asocket element H1 carrying within it a pattern controller H8, rotatablein roller bearings H9, I I9, held within the socket between the lowerend I29 of the tube 3'! and a flange IN on the lower end of the socketelement H1, the controller H8 being held in place within the ballbearings by a washer I22 secured as by a bolt to its upper end and by aflange I24 on its lower end. The controller H8 is rotatable in its ballbearings as its lower end I23 is moved along in the groove of thepattern, thereby minimizing friction and wear.

The belt 59 is thrown off the pulley 6| when the collar 55 is removedfrom the tube 31. If now the stitching mechanism is thrown intooperationthe pattern carrying frame may be moved by hand so as to cause thegroove of the pattern to move past the lower end of the plunger I I8 andto so change the position of the fabric in the tambour frame as toprogressively follow the movements of the pattern. To do thissatisfactorily the frame must be light and easily moved by the operator,friction being minimized so far as possible and weight reduced, whilethe necessary stifi'ness of the pattern carrying framework is retained.In both these automatic and manually controlled arrangements the patternis moved by mechanism of its own independently of the stitchingmechanism so that any shocks or jars in the pattern moving mechanismwill not be directly transmitted to the stitching mechanism so as toendanger the accurate functioning of its parts.

It will be seen that by the use of my improvements I obtain mechanism inwhich the danger of distorting the relative positions of the needle andthe looper mechanisms through shocks, flexingsor the like is practicallyeliminated both by the rigid, but comparatively light, construction ofthe framework of the machine, and by constructing and mounting theapparatus for carrying the tambour frame and the pattern as a unitindependent of the main frame of the machine; so that jars, shocks ormovements of that unit will not affect the stitching mechanism.

The fact that the stitching mechanisms are carried midway of stiff barssupported at each end by the uprights of the frame greatly add to thestability of the stitching mechanism; particularly as compared withconstructions in which the needle mechanism and the looper mechanism arecarried at the extremities of long arms reaching out from and movable onor with a common base.

This element of stability is also present in a similar way in themounting of the pattern control mechanism, which is fixed as a unit inits relation to the stiff frame of the machine and operates with a highdegree of smoothness and accuracy in drawing the pattern past it.

The use of a flexible and readily attachable and detachable element,substantially in the form of a continuous band, which may be bent into alarge variety of designs, as taste may dictate, affords a simple,inexpensive and efficient method of employing a large variety ofdifferent designs in the operation of the machine, by simply releasingthe band and rearranging it in different forms on the pattern platen.

Furthermore the capacity of the apparatus for being readily changed froman automatic control of the pattern to a manual control is ofconsiderable practical utility. For it requires simply the substitutionof a slightly different type of pattern and the replacement of onepattern control guide by another to permit the mechanism to be used fordifferent types of pattern, for instance embodying points and the like,which might not be as readily reproduced with the flexible band type ofcontrol pattern. By this means it is possible to stitch a master designwith the use of the automatic control and then to embellish it by manualcontrol with details of a different type of design. The lightconstruction of the tambour frame controlling mechanism enables anoperator to move the frame with facility and with but little effort.This is something which has not heretofore been possible so far as I amaware in machines of the class to which my invention is directed.

I wish it to be understood, however, that the particular embodiment ofmy improvements which I have mentioned and described is to be consideredas typical and not as exclusive; for such construction might be varied,as by the use of mechanical equivalents and the like, without departingfrom the spirit of my invention or the scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination, in a sewing machine, of fixed stitching means, arelatively movable tambour frame, a pattermwable with the tambour frame,embodying a platen having a flexible, non-metallic raised design elementthereupon and means, embodying a driven wheel provided with acircumferential, closed groove straddling the design elementlongitudinally and engaging frictionally therewith for moving it and thetambour frame in the lines of the design.

2. The combination in a sewing machine, provided with a tambour frame,and. a control pattern embodying a platen having a raised, nonmetallicdesign thereupon of means for moving the tambour frame control pattern,provided with a fixed actuating unit embodying a swiveled foot carryingadriven tractor wheel having an inwardly contracting, circumferential,closed groove therein frictionally engaging with said pattern bystraddling the non-metallic element thereupon, and means for drivingsaid tractor wheel to draw the pattern past it in the lines of thepattern design.

3. The combination, in a sewing machine, of stitching means, a tambourframe movable relative to the stitching means and provided with apattern platen embodying a flexible, non-metallic, raised design withinwardly converging sides, and means embodying a wheel provided with aclosed circumferential groove having inwardly converging sidesstraddling and frictionally en'- gaging the design element for moving itand the tambour frame in the lines of the design.

4. The combination, in a sewing machine, of stitching means, a tambourframe movable relative thereto, and carrying a raised governing platendesign flexible, non-metallic rib, a pattern tractor provided withunitary driving means for frictionally engaging the design rib on bothsides with a downward and inward wedging contact, and means to drive thetractor to draw the pattern past it in the lines of the design.

5. The combination, in a sewing machine, of fixed stitching means, arelatively movable tambour frame, a pattern, movable with the tambourframe, embodying a platen having a flexible and compressible raiseddesign element of substantially uniform size and cross sectionthereupon, and means yieldably and frictionally engaging with saiddesign element for moving it and the tambour frame in the lines of thedesign.

DAVID ROTHCHILD.

